2020 Leagues Cup

The 2020 Leagues Cup was planned to be the second edition of the Leagues Cup organized by Major League Soccer and Liga MX.^[1] The tournament would have featured 16 teams, an increase from the inaugural edition that had eight teams. Unlike the previous tournament, teams would have qualified based on league performance rather than by invitation.

Major League Soccer and Liga MX announced the cancelation of the tournament on May 19, 2020, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.^[2]

Qualification

The top four Major League Soccer teams from each conference in the 2019 season who did not qualify for the 2020 CONCACAF Champions League would have qualified for the Leagues Cup.

The 2019 Apertura, 2020 Clausura, and 2019–20 Copa MX champions would have qualified for the Leagues Cup, plus the top five teams from the combined 2019–20 Liga MX standings who had not already qualified.

Major League Soccer (8 berths) Seed Team Qualification method MLS 1 Philadelphia Union 3rd, Eastern Conference MLS 2 Real Salt Lake 3rd, Western Conference MLS 3 Minnesota United FC 4th, Western Conference MLS 4 LA Galaxy 5th, Western Conference MLS 5 Toronto FC 4th, Eastern Conference MLS 6 D.C. United 5th, Eastern Conference MLS 7 Portland Timbers 6th, Western Conference MLS 8 New York Red Bulls 6th, Eastern Conference ^ Toronto FC is a member of the Canadian Soccer Association; however, their method of qualification for this competition is through the U.S.-sanctioned Major League Soccer.

Mexican Football Federation (8 berths) Seed Team Qualification method LMX 1 or 2 Monterrey 2019 Apertura champions LMX 1 or 2 Cruz Azul 2020 Clausura first place LMX 3 Undetermined[a] 2019–20 Copa MX champions LMX 4 León 1st, aggregate table LMX 5 Santos Laguna 2nd, aggregate table LMX 6 América 3rd, aggregate table LMX 7 UANL 4th, aggregate table LMX 8 Querétaro 5th, aggregate table ^ Monterrey had already qualified for the Leagues Cup prior to its cancellation, as the 2019 Liga MX Apertura champions. They later also won the 2019–20 Copa MX, but it is unclear how the Leagues Cup berth awarded to the Copa MX champions would have been reallocated.

Draw

The 2020 edition of the Leagues Cup was planned to be the first to use a draw and seeding for participating teams. The initial draw would have matched up an MLS team against a Liga MX team in the Round of 16, while a second draw before the quarterfinals would have allowed for reseeding and adjustments to allow for interleague play.^[3][4]

Fixtures

Round of 16

Philadelphia Union v TBD

July 21/22	Philadelphia Union	v	TBD	Chester, Pennsylvania
				Stadium: Subaru Park

Toronto FC v TBD

July 21/22	Toronto FC	v	TBD	Toronto, Ontario
				Stadium: BMO Field

D.C. United v TBD

July 21/22	D.C. United	v	TBD	Washington, D.C.
				Stadium: Audi Field

New York Red Bulls v TBD

July 21/22	New York Red Bulls	v	TBD	Harrison, New Jersey
				Stadium: Red Bull Arena

Real Salt Lake v TBD

July 21/22	Real Salt Lake	v	TBD	Sandy, Utah
				Stadium: Rio Tinto Stadium

Minnesota United FC v TBD

July 21/22	Minnesota United FC	v	TBD	St. Paul, Minnesota
				Stadium: Allianz Field

LA Galaxy v TBD

July 21/22	LA Galaxy	v	TBD	Carson, California
				Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park

Portland Timbers v TBD

July 21/22	Portland Timbers	v	TBD	Portland, Oregon
				Stadium: Providence Park

Quarterfinals and beyond

The schedule for the final rounds of the tournament was originally as follows:

• Quarterfinals: August 4–5
• Semifinals: August 25–26
• Final: September 16

References